Angels 5, Twins 4: Huston Street outduels Kennys Vargas in the end

Twins closer Glen Perkins watches as the Angels' David Freese hits a ground-rule double in the ninth inning at Target Field on Thursday. Tony Campana pinch ran for Freese scored what proved to be the winning run for the Angels. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

Here was the classic confrontation between veteran closer and rookie slugger.

Game on the line, potential tying and winning runs on base, and Huston Street quickly fell into a 3-1 hole against hulking Kennys Vargas.

Even at that moment, Vargas admitted after the Twins' 5-4 loss to the first-place Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, he never truly felt like he had Street in trouble.

"It's hard to control that situation because the team needed a run and you want to hit," Vargas said. "I need to learn, depending on the situation, to be patient, try to look for my pitch, things like that."

That's easier said than done when Joe Mauer has just popped to left and Eduardo Escobar, having pinch run for Trevor Plouffe in the seventh, is on deck. The natural inclination for any young hitter, much less one coming off a dream debut month, is to reach for the heroic moment, to try to make it happen yourself.

Street, having alternated dipping changeups and darting sliders in falling behind to the dangerous cleanup hitter, came back with another changeup that Vargas swung over mightily for strike two.

"I looked for a fastball because he got (behind) 3-1," Vargas said. "I looked for something hard, and he beat me with a changeup."

Looking for his 61st save in his past 64 chances, Street came back with the same pitch. He left a full-count changeup thigh-high on the outer half, but Vargas fouled it back.

"I just wanted a hit," he insisted.

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With the crowd of 21,914 hoping for a little more magic, Vargas steeled himself for another full-count offering.

Hadn't Street just handled Mauer with four straight sinkers as Vargas stood on deck? Wasn't that the young switch hitter's preferred way of preparing himself for these first-time confrontations?

"I just try to see what he's got," Vargas said. "When it's a new guy like that, I try to see what he throws to the guy before me. I use that to prepare myself to go to home plate.

Minnesota base runner Joe Mauer puts on the brakes as he rounds second base after Los Angeles shortstop Erick Aybar was able to chase down Kennys Vargas' hit in the third inning. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

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Vargas saw four fastballs in his first three trips against Angels left-hander Hector Santiago, who worked the first five innings. Those produced a lineout (slider), infield single (curveball) and double-play grounder (changeup).

Reliever Kevin Jepsen got him to chase a 97-mph fastball in his eyes as he fanned in the seventh.

Street climbed back atop the mound, peered in for the sign and threw Vargas one last pitch.

Another changeup.

Another swinging strike.

"I was just trying to hit the ball," Vargas said after his 39th strikeout against just four walks. "He made good pitches, and I give him credit. I learn something every day. That's an experience. Next time I got it."

After Escobar flied out to end the game, leaving the Twins with nine losses in their past 12 games, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire reflected on the closer-rookie battle.

The Angels had made the most of David Freese's leadoff double off Twins closer Glen Perkins (3-2) in the top of the ninth, but the Twins, having tied the score on Eduardo Nunez's three-run shot in the sixth, came up empty against Street in the end.

"Huston's been closing for a long time," Gardenhire said. "I think he knows in a situation like that, against a young hitter, less is more, and he was throwing less. He was taking a lot off the ball. I know a guy like that understands. You try to power it by that big guy, you've got a chance to get hurt."

At least when it comes to hits and runs batted in, Vargas has put himself in sentences that include the likes of Albert Pujols and Joe DiMaggio. Street, no doubt, was aware of those statistical curiosities.

"He just kept taking more and more off and letting it go down towards the ground," Gardenhire said. "The kid had a good at-bat against him. He laid off a couple pitches, but ultimately ended up chasing a couple too. Good experience for him. First time he's seen the guy, and that's always tough."